Page 137
She looked about the room.
"These walls are full of whispers, you know. They are like sponges, and if you press your ear against one hard enough, you can squeeze out some whispers."
"This is disgusting," Ice practically spit.
Rose turned away and hurried to the doorway of the living room, clutching her stomach.
Cinnamon stared after her a moment and then looked at us.
"You've got to transfer your fears, put your emotions into something constructive." she recited as if we were all training for a dramatic presentation. "None of us want to hear such things, but they happen."
"Let's get out of here," Rose urged from the doorway. "She's right. Cinnamon," I said. "What can we do for her?"
"We've got to do something," Cinnamon said with fury in her eyes.
She was remembering what had happened to her mother. I thought.
"Not tonight," Ice said. "Let's go. I've heard enough anyway." Cinnamon looked at me and I nodded.
"They're right. We should go."
"Okay. We'll come back to see Gerta," she told her. "Will you tell her that? Tell her we like her and we want to help her go shopping,"
"That's very nice." she said. "She'll be happy to hear that." She turned toward the wall on the right and just stared,
"Cinnamon," Ice urged, tugging at her arm.
Cinnamon backed up and we all started for the door. Just as we walked out. however. Nxre heard a door slam below,
"Oh, no. Madame Senetsky's back, or it's Laura Fairchild,' I said.
We froze and listened to the footsteps below. They were getting louder and approaching.
"Back out the window," Cinnamon said. retreating.
"But the door will be unlocked. She'll know someone came in here," I said.
"Or she'll think she just forgot to lock it," Cinnamon said. "C'mon. We don't have time to argue about it."
We closed the door softly and hurried back into the bedroom. Gerta was still sitting the same way, staring at the wall. She didn't seem to hear us. We went to the windo
w. It, too, had been locked, so we had to open that and go out, closing the window behind us and hurrying off the landing and down the stairs to my room.
"Ms. Fairchild is going to figure it out," Ice warned as we all descended. "The door was unlocked and the window was unlocked,"
"Gerta could have done the window. Just keep cool and reveal nothing," Cinnamon fired back.
We stepped on the landing and I opened my window so we could all crawl in. Just as we did, the lights went on.
Rose cried out. I gasped. and Cinnamon and Ice turned with surprise.
Standing there with a big, fat smile on his face was Howard Rockwell.
"What are you doing in my room?" I cried,
He wasn't fazed at all. He stood there, cocky as ever with that arrogant smile, his arms folded over his chest, and leaned against the closed door.
"When I came home and found none of you about, I began to check your rooms. This was the last and just as I stepped in to look. I heard the racket on the fire escape and waited. So, what are you, a bunch of burglars?" No one spoke.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137 (Reading here)
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156